“ It is the goal of the people to establish a system of education which
will develop the full educational potential of each person. Equality of
educational opportunity is guaranteed to each person of the state. ”
Ar t icle X , Section 1, Montana Constitution

Introduction and Executive Summary
The Montana Association of School Business Officials (MASBO), MEA-MFT,
Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC), Montana Rural Education
Association (MREA), Montana School Boards Association (MTSBA)
and School Administrators of Montana (SAM) are proud to collaborate
in spreading the word about the Great Work of Montana’s Public
Schools.
Through careful stewardship, engagement of communities
and inspiration provided through the Montana Constitution,
Montana’s Public Schools have evolved over the last
150 years into community owned centers of excellence,
life-readiness and opportunity. Along the way, our public
schools have earned a well-deserved reputation as places
where tradition is treasured and communities are connected,
futures are readied and potentials are realized, children are
cherished and kindness is kindled, students are stimulated
and inspired, and where excellence is encouraged.
We invite you to join us in the important and inspiring work
of ensuring individualized excellence for each child educated
in Montana’s Public Schools.
Learn more at mt-pec.org.

|1

Montana’s Public Schools are gover ned by elected
school trustees
Local school boards are made up of over 1,400 Montanans that come
from all walks of life - including accountants, bankers, farmers, ranchers,
retirees, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbors.
What binds this diverse group of volunteer leaders together is their desire
to serve their community and help prepare children for a lifetime of success
and happiness.

classroom space... we are becoming
very overcrowded in our elementary
and our middle school... So classroom
space has been a premium for us...
Also we’re very conscious of what the
public wants from curriculum, so we’re
constantly adapting curriculum to
provide for those public needs and
hopefully fulfilling jobs in the
Flathead.

Elected trustees in Montana volunteer nearly 750,000 hours each year in
pursuit of increased student achievement, taking on complex and sometimes controversial challenges with no compensation whatsoever. Elected
trustees contribute the equivalent of 360 FTE positions provided free of
charge each year, providing taxpayers over $14 million in savings each
year compared to what those positions would cost if filled by employees.
Elected trustees oversee the employment of over 25,000 public employees
who educate, support, transport, supervise, feed and protect the safety of
over 147,000 children, in virtually every community in the state, every day
of the week throughout the school year. School boards govern for excellence and efficiency in equal measures and the results of their efforts
speak for themselves. Montana’s Public Schools provide performance that
compares favorably by any measure, nationally or even internationally and
elected trustees deliver these results for below average costs when compared to other states in our Nation. Elected trustees ensure preservation
and fulfillment of important constitutional guarantees afforded Montana's
citizens.

Montana’s Public Schools are responsive to the
needs of each community
Our constitutional founders got it right when they designed the governance
of Montana’s public schools. Our school districts are generally supervised
by the Board of Public Education and funded by the Legislature, but they
are also community owned through elected school boards, which are
vested with “supervision and control” of all publicly-funded K-12 education
in Montana.
Additional safeguards employed to ensure each community’s voice in
how its schools are governed and run include the constitutional rights
of the public’s right to know, influence, and participate in the operations

According to calculations made by the Alliance for Excellent Education,
Montana is likely to see significant economic gains as a result of increases

Montana’s graduation
rates on the rise

$5.9

million annual
boost to
Montana’s
economy

Test Scores

in its high school graduation rate over the
period of 2009 to 2014, which resulted in
520 additional high school graduates. The
Alliance estimates Montana will see a $5.9
million annual boost to the state’s economy
going forward and an increase of $12.3
million in spending on homes and a
$700,000 increase in automobile sales.
Collectively, the additional graduates will
likely earn an additional $95 million over

the course of their lifetimes, compared to if they had not graduated
from high school. Additional earning equals additional tax revenues

$12.3

million
home sales

$700,000
automobile
sales

and less reliance on public assistance
programs. This benefits all citizens.

Montana’s pu
blic
school studen
ts were
found to be th
e

4th best in th
e wor
in science

ld

6th best in
the world
in math *

Montana’s average 8th grade science score is 163, ranked
1st in the nation
Montana’s average 8th grade reading score is 272, ranked 6th
in the nation
Montana Public Schools had the second best (lowest)
white/Hispanic achievement gap in the nation

below national average
Graduation represents
the universal benchmark
for success of K-12
public education and
Montana’s public schools
produce graduates at
a cost lower than all
but a handful of states
in the nation.

School
Revenues
Ranked

29th

per $1,000 in personal
income in the nation

*Derived from a combination of
graduation rates and per pupil
expenditures

Montana public school
administrator staffing
is effective and efficient:

Montana’s Public Schools adapt and innovate
to ensure student success
• Four day school weeks in many communities

• Advanced Placement

throughout the state that have embraced the
concept in collaboration with parents and others

• Dual High School/College

in the community

Credit

• Distance learning options through the Montana

• Vocational, computer and
business classes in addition
to college prep classes

Digital Academy that fully integrate technology and
learning and which provide an expansive breadth
of curriculum in all participating public schools while
retaining community ownership and local control
• Proficiency-based learning opportunities free from

• Part time enrollment options
for home school students
• Credit recovery options
for students who have
fallen behind

Montana’s Public Schools earn trust through
transparency
Montana voters trust local educators the most when it comes to
doing what is right academically for children in our public schools.
That trust should come as no surprise as it has been hard earned

and preserved through the transparency of Montana’s Public
Schools. Public meetings, public comments, and the right for
public participation on each voted item, help make Montana’s
public schools transparent, but our public schools do much more
than that!
Our schools are governed and operated in a manner that not
only upholds Montana constitutional guarantees of openness and
public participation but which also actively engages communities
in fully developing the potential of each student. Montana’s Public
Schools are committed to working hand in hand with and in their
communities in creating a bright future for Montana’s children.

of education which will develop the full educational
potential of each person.”
Article X, Section 1, Montana Constitution, 1972

8|

A V ision for the Success of Montana’s Students
—

M O N TA N A’ S

K - 1 2

V I S I O N

G R O U P

C OR E

VAL UES

—

Montana’s public school districts share the authority and responsibility with the Legislature,
Governor, Board of Public Education and State Superintendent to provide a system of public
education that affords children, their families and Montana’s citizens each of the guarantees
of Article X of the Montana Constitution.
Ensuring the preservation of a
basic system of free quality public
elementary and secondary schools
throughout Montana that
is capable of developing the full
educational potential of each
person served

Ensuring quality
and equality
of educational
opportunity for
each child

Ensuring the
preservation of
the distinct and unique
cultural heritage of
American Indians

Ensuring against direct
or indirect aid
to parochial
education

Ensuring against
discrimination on account
of sex, race, creed, religion,
political beliefs, or national
origin in Montana’s Public
Schools

Ensuring each
community’s ownership
of its schools, exercised
through supervision and
control by elected trustees

Ensuring general
supervision of Montana’s
Public Schools by
an appointed Board
of Public Education

Ensuring the proper
and exclusive use
of state land revenues
for Montana’s
Public Schools

|9

A V ision for the Success of Montana’s Students
M O N TA N A’ S

LIBBY
K-12 Schools

K - 1 2

WHITEFISH
Public
Schools

RONAN
Public
Schools

V I S I O N

MISSOULA
COUNTY
Public
Schools

S TAT E WIDE

SUNBURST
Public Schools

BROWNING
Public Schools

EVERGREEN
Elementary
KALISPELL
Public Schools
BIGFORK
Public Schools

CORVALLIS
K-12 Schools

G R O U P

R EPR ESEN TAT ION

DODSON
Public Schools
HAVRE
Public Schools
MALTA
K-12 Schools

SHELBY
Public Schools
CONRAD
Public Schools

POPLAR
Public Schools
NASHUA
K-12 Schools
FRAZER
Public Schools

DUTTON/BRADY
K-12 Schools

SIDNEY
Public Schools

GREAT FALLS
Public Schools
HELENA
Public
Schools

POWELL
COUNTY
High School

CASCADE
Public Schools
EAST
HELENA
Elementary
MT CITY
Elementary

JEFFERSON
High School

BOZEMAN
Public Schools
ANDERSON
Elementary

HARRISON
Public Schools

CULBERTSON
Public Schools

WIBAUX
K-12 Schools

LEWISTOWN
Public Schools

PLEVNA
K-12 Schools

BILLINGS
Public Schools
LOCKWOOD
Elementary
ASHLAND
Elementary

DILLON
Elementary

AA

10 | 8 |

A

B

C

Independent
Elementary

ISBC

A V ision for the Success of Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Students
W H E R E

A R E

W E

G O I N G ?

O U R

E N V I S I O N E D

F U T U R E

F OR

T H E

YEAR

2025

Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Schools
work collaboratively with each other,
with state policymakers, and with their
communities to successfully develop
the full potential of each child.

Consistently recognize, honor and support the goal of the people to establish a system of education which will develop
the full educational potential of each person and use that goal to drive policymaking decisions;
Consistently support each community’s ownership of its public schools and each district’s ability to develop the full
potential of each child through supervision and control by locally elected school boards;
Adequately and rationally provide the resources needed by Montana’s Public Schools; and
Support the budgetary and other flexibilities needed by Montana’s Public Schools to be responsive to community
and student needs.

Montana’s public school districts are student-centered, focused, adaptable, innovative, engaging,
safe and secure, and driven to:

12 |

•

Ensure that public school students’ knowledge and skills match contemporary needs;

•

Use innovation and technology to link each student to the world in which he/she will learn and succeed;

•

Operate in well-designed, modern and updated facilities that enhance learning;

•

Engage families, the community, and each other to develop the full potential of each child;

•

Empower and engage students to actively participate in their education and set high expectations for themselves;

•

Design and use effective data systems to support and enhance each student’s success; and

•

Increase academic excellence through equitable availability of the full spectrum of educational resources and
opportunities.

A V ision for the Success of Montana’s Students
W H E R E

A R E

W E

G O I N G ?

O U R

E N V I S I O N E D

FU T U R E

F OR

T H E

YEAR

2025

Vi v i d D e s c r i p t i o n s o f o u r E n v i s i o n e d F u t u r e :
As a result of the support of policymakers and the leadership of Montana’s public school districts,
Montana’s public school students:
•

Appreciate the intrinsic value of their education and are inspired to ensure the success of public education as
stewards of the future;

•

Succeed despite the circumstances of life that could otherwise interfere in achievement of their full potential; and

•

Use the knowledge and skills they develop in Montana’s Public Schools to think critically and engage and succeed
as productive members of society.

Continued growth in student success in Montana’s Public Schools is evident through multiple measures, including but not
limited to:
•
100% of Montana’s students earning a high school diploma or equivalent;
•
A continued increase in students graduating with post-secondary credits;
•
Continued improvement in narrowing achievement gaps through targeted intervention and other strategies;
•
Increased achievement on standardized tests;
•
Enhanced and expanded opportunities for dual enrollment; and
•
Wide availability of a well-rounded education, including items such as all day kindergarten, gifted and talented,
music, art, physical education, technology, career and vocational technical education and advanced placement
courses.
As a result of these achievements, students in Montana’s Public Schools complete their K-12 education ready for
a lifetime of post-secondary success as productive and engaged citizens, pursuing the full spectrum of college and
career options.

Through a widely held, intrinsic trust in educators and strong local control, Montana’s Public School educators
and students thrive. Montana’s Public Schools have the resources they need to succeed, allowing teachers
and administrators to consistently avail themselves of the latest research and the innovative use of technology
and other evolving teaching and learning strategies to provide personalized instruction for each child.
As a result, Montana’s Public Schools are a magnet for the recruitment and retention of quality educators.

14 |

A V ision for the Success of Montana’s S t u d e n t s
H O W

D O

W E

P L A N

TO

G E T

T H E R E ?

O UR

5 -YEAR

GOAL S

Gover nance, Leadership And Accountability: Intended Success for the year 2020

Locally elected school boards, administrative leaders, teachers and other staff collaboratively focus on the interests of each child educated
in our public schools. This collaboration and focus is also reflected in the relationships among the statewide public education advocacy
groups representing teachers, trustees, administrators, and school business officials. The Legislature, Governor, Board of Public Education,
and State Superintendent all actively support and collaborate to continually improve and enhance a system that develops the full educational
potential of each student in Montana’s Public Schools. As a result, Montana schools are nationally recognized for excellence.

Culture, Climate And Social Values: Intended Success for the year 2020

The independent spirit and unique values of Montanans are well recognized and reflected in each of Montana’s Public
Schools. Through our collective dedication to maximizing our resources for excellence, our commitments to quality
public education in each community, and the preservation of personalized learning environments, all students,
regardless of personal circumstance or ability, feel supported and fully prepared for a successful future. Montanans
recognize their public schools as the key to the state’s future success.

Community Engagement: Intended Success for the year 2020
Increased recognition of the great work of Montana’s Public Schools has caused Montana’s communities
to engage and support success for each child served. As a result, Montana’s Public Schools and their
communities have collaborated to energize and effectively individualize public education to increase student
success in Montana’s Public Schools.

Adequate and equitable funding 89.6%
of public schools by the Legislature
Supervision and control of public education 83.7%
by locally elected school boards
General supervision of public education and development
of standards by the Board of Public Education 83.2%
Prohibition on discrimination on account of sex, race,
creed, religion, political beliefs or national origin 82.3%
Preservation of cultural heritage
of American Indian Peoples and Tribes 74.1%
Prohibition on direct or indirect aid for parochial schools 53.0%

0

20 |

20

40

60

80

100

The Montana Constitution provides that our publicly funded K-12 schools:
Will devote themselves to developing
the full educational potential of each
person

Will afford citizens a right to attend and
participate in decisions of the school
board and access public documents

Will be adequately and equitably
funded by the Legislature

Will be generally supervised by an
appointed board of public education

Will be governed by local trustees,
subject to popular election in each
community

Will preserve the distinct and unique
cultural heritage of American Indian
Peoples and Tribes

Will provide equality of educational
opportunity to each child

Will be nonsectarian and otherwise free
from discrimination on account of sex,
race, creed, religion, political beliefs, or
national origin

The founding of Montana’s Public Schools pre-dates Montana’s statehood by 25 years. The creation of a system of public schools was one
of the first actions of the First Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly
in 1864.
Since the first public school opened in Virginia City in 1865, Montana’s
Public Schools have been preparing Montana children for a future of
success over the last 150 years, governed by community-elected
trustees all along the way.

MTSBA
863 Great Northern Blvd
Suite 301
Helena, MT 59601

All photographs in this publication are of students, teachers, administrators and trustees from Montana’s Public Schools.

The Great Work of Montana’s
Public Schools
Vo l u m e I I I

Learn more at mt-pec.org

October 2015

“It is the goal of the people to establish a system of education
which will develop the full educational potential of each person.”
Article X, Section 1, Montana Constitution, 1972